A short introduction to an imaginary language that’s close enough to English to raise some fun questions.
A whimsical dictionary of a not-quite-real language.
Debut author Catchpoole’s slight, playful solo debut purports to be a dictionary of “Hoptanglish,” the language spoken in the “distant, foreign place” of Hoptanglia. There, some basic concepts of English sound, syntax, and meaning have taken on new forms to fit new functions, because, as the author says, “Language…is more than a vocabulary or grammar; it is a consciousness of connection to other speakers.” As Catchpoole takes readers from A to Z, it’s immediately apparent that there’s a loose, slurry logic at work in the sounds of the words and their pithy definitions. “Avocadive,” for example, is an adjective that means “reminiscent of the taste, smell or texture of avocados,” and “Ludicurious” is an adjective meaning “intrigued by comical incongruities.” In all such cases, readers will immediately understand the derivations of these new words and grasp their weird but vaguely on-point tone; at times, fans of the TV show The Simpsons may be reminded of a classic 1996 episode in which characters use the nonwords “embiggen” and “cromulent” to similar effect. However, Catchpoole often balances the simple farce of wordplay with Hoptanglish words designed to provoke deeper thought. “Meandereaning,” for instance, means “meaning without purpose” (derived from “meander” and “meaning”), and “Specifelicity” means “elation from precision.” Not all of the author’s words derive from their English near-cousins (“subvive,”for example, meaning “to die, but only just,” comes from the Latin sub and vivere), but enough of them do to preserve the function of Hoptanglish as a running commentary on the nature of English in an uncertain age (“Swayline,” for example, means “the edge of conviction”). Fans of such venerable works as Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary will recognize this book as a direct, if very lightweight, ideological descendant.
A short introduction to an imaginary language that’s close enough to English to raise some fun questions.Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9953943-0-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Zafferona Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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